Agency Official Quits Amid Disputes

HOLLYWOOD — A co-founder of a community development organization has resigned from the agency amid disputes over how services are provided in the city`s two black neighborhoods.

City officials said the ``bombshell`` resignation of Gleason Holloway from the Liberia Economic and Social Development Agency came after months of disputes between Holloway and Henry Graham, the other LES co-founder and the organization`s executive director.

``Both are very strong-willed men,`` said Sylvester Jackson, an assistant city manager who serves on the LES board. ``I tried to get both Gleason and Henry Graham together to try to work this out, but Gleason refused.``

Holloway said that the agency has neglected his neighborhood, Washington Park, in favor of Liberia, the neighborhood where Graham works and lives. City and LES officials denied the charge.

``This move is being made to facilitate a much-needed emphasis on the needs of the Washington Park community,`` said Holloway, who is president of the Washington Park Civic Association. ``Our assumption over the years was that LES would act as an intermediary and look out for Washington Park. That hasn`t happened. We are now going to work on our own behalf.``

Holloway, who had been scheduled to become the vice president of the LES board of directors Wednesday, said his neighborhood now will attempt to form its own community development organization.

However, Graham said LES will continue to serve the 900 families of Washington Park, even if Holloway doesn`t want the organization to do so.

``We have not been told by the community of Washington Park to stop providing services,`` Graham said. ``All we received was a letter from the civic association. We feel the people in Washington Park still want our services.``

LES is a non-profit community development group founded in 1981 to improve the Liberia and Washington Park neighborhoods.

According to city records, Washington Park has received $2.6 million in government funds administered by the city and LES since 1975 for such things as a new day care center, code enforcement, housing construction, a one-stop social services center, a gymnasium, sewers and street lighting.

Liberia, since 1975, has received $2.4 million for similar projects.

However, Holloway said that LES is favoring Liberia by developing a 56-unit housing project and restoring a dilapidated apartment complex in that neighborhood. In Washington Park, he said, only six new houses have been built. In response to the accusation, city officials said there isn`t vacant land available in that neighborhood.

Meanwhile, Holloway said, jobs that could have gone to Washington Park residents to help build the day care center were given to residents outside the city. City records show he is correct, but officials said they can`t require contractors to hire residents from the neighborhood.

Holloway also said that Washington Park teen-agers were bypassed in favor of Liberia residents for a free auto mechanics training program. But Jackson said the program received few, if any, qualified applications from Washington Park residents.

``If Gleason had these concerns, he should have attended more (LES board) meetings,`` Jackson said. ``He missed more than he attended. His accusations of neglect are totally unfounded.``